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    PolarDB:Billing methods

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    PolarDB:Billing methods

    Last Updated:Nov 13, 2024

    PolarDB provides the subscription, pay-as-you-go, and serverless billing methods to meet your requirements in different scenarios.

    Scenarios

    Billing method

    Scenario

    Subscription

    • Predictable resource usage duration

    • Heavy workloads that have infrequent and small fluctuations

    Pay-as-you-go

    • Unpredictable resource usage duration

    • Temporary, sudden, and unpredictable workloads

    • Light workloads that have infrequent and small fluctuations

    Serverless

    • Individual developers

    • Limited use of databases in scenarios such as test and development environments

    • Inconsistent and unpredictable workloads in scenarios such as IoT and edge computing

    • Fluctuating and unpredictable workloads or business scenarios

    Comparison analysis

    Item

    Subscription

    Pay-as-you-go

    Serverless

    Payment type

    Subscription (prepaid)

    Note

    Specific billable items can only be billed based on the pay-as-you-go billing method. For more information, see Billable items.

    Pay-as-you-go (postpaid)

    Pay-as-you-go (postpaid)

    Compute node type

    Fixed specifications

    Fixed specifications

    Dynamically scaled specifications

    Billing cycle

    Billed based on the subscription duration.

    Charged in seconds and billed on an hourly basis

    Charged in seconds and billed on an hourly basis

    Applicable resource plans

    Switching of the billing method

    Can be switched to the pay-as-you-go billing method.

    Note

    The switching rules vary based on the database edition. For more information, see Switch between billing methods.

    Can be switched to the subscription billing method.

    Note

    The switching rules vary based on the database edition. For more information, see Switch between billing methods.

    Not supported.

    Change the specifications

    If you change the specifications of a cluster, the system calculates the related fees based on the billing method of the cluster and the changes. For more information, see Change the specifications.

    Billing method

    Billing for specifications change

    Subscription

    After you change the specifications of your cluster, the system calculates the related fees based on the changes.

    • When you upgrade or add nodes, the system calculates the fees that you are required to pay.

    • When you downgrade or delete nodes, the system calculates the refund.

    Pay-as-you-go

    After you change the specifications of your cluster, the system charges you on an hourly basis based on the price of the new specifications.

    Serverless

    You cannot change the specifications of your cluster. Compute node resources are automatically adjusted based on the business loads.

    Expiration or overdue payments

    Service interruptions may occur when a cluster expires or a payment becomes overdue. The system notifies you of these issues at the earliest opportunity. When you receive the notifications, we recommend that you immediately recharge your account or renew the cluster to prevent service interruptions. For more information, see Expiration or overdue payments.

    FAQ

    Why do I still receive bills after I purchase a subscription cluster?

    The issue may be caused by one of the following reasons:

    The preceding billable items are billed based on the pay-as-you-go billing method. The fees are generated based on the storage usage and data retention period. For information about how to view the bills, see View your bills.

    Why do I still receive bills after I release or unsubscribe from my cluster?

    This issue may be caused by one of the following reasons:

    • The PolarDB cluster has pay-as-you-go billable items for which billing is delayed. As a result, bills are still generated even after you release or unsubscribe from the PolarDB cluster.

      • Subscription clusters have pay-as-you-go billable items. For example, if the storage billing method of a cluster is pay-as-you-go, the generated storage bills are delayed.

      • The bills generated for pay-as-you-go clusters are delayed.

        Note

        You can view the generated pay-as-you-go bills of your cluster in the PolarDB console. For more information, see View your bills.

    • If you set the backup policy to When the cluster is released, the cluster data is automatically backed up, and the latest backup set is retained for a long period of time., fees are generated for backups that are retained for a long period even after you release for unsubscribe from the cluster. To avoid the preceding costs, delete the backup sets from the recycle bin. For more information, see Delete a released cluster.

    How is a serverless cluster billed?

    A serverless cluster is billed based on the average number of PolarDB Capacity Units (PCUs) consumed per second within the billing period. For more information, see Billing rules for compute nodes of a serverless cluster.

    How do I migrate a non-serverless cluster (subscription or pay-as-you-go cluster) to a serverless cluster?

    You can migrate a non-serverless cluster to a serverless cluster by using Data Transmission Service (DTS). For more information, see Migrate data between PolarDB for MySQL clusters.

    Can I upgrade a non-serverless cluster (subscription or pay-as-you-go cluster) to a serverless cluster?

    You can enable the serverless feature for a non-serverless cluster (subscription or pay-as-you-go cluster). For more information, see Enable the serverless feature for a cluster with defined specifications.